research papers in forensic biology

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Forensic Biology Research and Development at NIJ

Forensic Biology involves the collection, study, and analysis of biological material on evidence from crime scenes to provide unbiased, scientific reports for a criminal or civil court case to give a better understanding of the crime that occurred. Historically, one of the earliest forensic biologists was Sir Alec Jeffreys in 1985 using DNA fingerprinting or DNA typing to individually identify humans. [1] He targeted variable number tandem repeat (VNTRs) DNA regions using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Over time technology and new research methods have increased the number and type of targets to be used for identification and moved the forensic biology field into a new era with faster, more specific, sensitive sequencing technologies. 

Whereas the forensic biology field started with targeting DNA regions, this field now encompasses a wide range of topics for crime investigation. The NIJ research and development grants have expanded the areas of science every year to cover as many topics as possible for advancement in the field of forensic biology. Future research efforts will continue to push the boundaries and enhance protocols for faster, specific, sensitive measures based in scientific fact.

Select a link below to see a subset of topics, targets, and technologies that have been funded for scientific research by the NIJ. 

• Short Tandem Repeats (STRs)
• Y-chromosome
• Mitochondrial DNA
• RNA (mRNA, miRNA, snRNA)
• Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
• Microhaplotypes 
• Microbiome  
• Macrohaplotypes
• Disaster Victim Identification
• DNA Transfer Persistence Prevalence and Recovery (TPPR)
• DNA Phenotyping
• Wildlife testing
• Body Fluid Identification (BFID)
• Mixture Deconvolution & Interpretation
• Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG)
• Likelihood Ratios
• Postmortem Interval
• DNA Methylation
• Age & Ancestry Assignment
• Epigenetics
• Multi-omics (lipidomics, metabolomics, genomics, proteomics)
• Population Genetics
• Time Since Deposition

Technologies

• Massive Parallel Sequencing
• Probabilistic Genotyping
• Kinship analysis
• Gene Expression
• Hybridization Capture
• Mass Spectroscopy
• Bioinformatics
• System Modeling
• Portable Technology
• Cell Capture & Collection
• Differential Extraction
• Single Cell Analysis
• Non-destructive

Each year the NIJ receives applications from dozens of promising research projects across the nation that can advance the forensic biology field in new ways. The applications are verified for all requested information and peer-reviewed and scored by scientific experts across various fields for merit and scientific prowess prior to awarding grants for each fiscal year. Every grant that has been funded by the NIJ has a dissemination plan in place to promote the results and attract more research ideas from newer research laboratories. Two of the main avenues for disseminating research are by publishing in journal articles or presenting at conferences or webinars. Below are statistics showing the growth in grant funding correlating with dissemination materials across various grants by fiscal year.

As shown, many of our awards are presented at various events and published in many different journals. Many of the events are hosted by scientific communities, but numerous research grants have also hosted events attended by scientists across the globe. There has also been software, databases, and research data disseminated for public use via easily accessible sites (e.g., GitHub). Below are short lists of common events and journals that have been utilized across many of the funded awards for dissemination of the research endeavors to the forensic community.

• International Symposium on Human Identification    
• International Society for Forensic Genetics    
• NIJ Research Conference
• American Academy of Forensic Sciences    
• Regional Forensic Annual Meetings    
• Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy
• No-cost Webinars    
• Forensic Science International-Genetics
• Journal of Forensic Sciences
• International Journal of Legal Medicine
• Analytical Chemistry    
• Genes 
• Forensic Science International 
• Electrophoresis  

[note 1] Butler, John M. Forensic DNA Typing: Biology, Technology, and Genetics of STR Markers, Second Edition. 2005.

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Hejian Wu Duarte Nuno Vieira

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Forensic Sciences Research is a fully Open Access, peer-reviewed journal publishing high-quality research that is innovative and has international impact in various disciplines of forensic sciences.

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Recent advances in forensic science research

For immediate release, acs news service weekly presspac: april 20, 2022.

Forensic scientists collect and analyze evidence during a criminal investigation to identify victims, determine the cause of death and figure out “who done it.” Below are some recent papers published in ACS journals reporting on new advances that could help forensic scientists solve crimes. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing  newsroom@acs.org .

“Insights into the Differential Preservation of Bone Proteomes in Inhumed and Entombed Cadavers from Italian Forensic Caseworks” Journal of Proteome Research March 22, 2022 Bone proteins can help determine how long ago a person died (post-mortem interval, PMI) and how old they were at the time of their death (age at death, AAD), but the levels of these proteins could vary with burial conditions. By comparing bone proteomes of exhumed individuals who had been entombed in mausoleums or buried in the ground, the researchers found several proteins whose levels were not affected by the burial environment, which they say could help with AAD or PMI estimation.

“Carbon Dot Powders with Cross-Linking-Based Long-Wavelength Emission for Multicolor Imaging of Latent Fingerprints” ACS Applied Nanomaterials Jan. 21, 2022 For decades, criminal investigators have recognized the importance of analyzing latent fingerprints left at crime scenes to help identify a perpetrator, but current methods to make these prints visible have limitations, including low contrast, low sensitivity and high toxicity. These researchers devised a simple way to make fluorescent carbon dot powders that can be applied to latent fingerprints, making them fluoresce under UV light with red, orange and yellow colors.

“Proteomics Offers New Clues for Forensic Investigations” ACS Central Science Oct. 18, 2021 This review article describes how forensic scientists are now turning their attention to proteins in bone, blood or other biological samples, which can sometimes answer questions that DNA can’t. For example, unlike DNA, a person’s complement of proteins (or proteome) changes over time, providing important clues about when a person died and their age at death.

“Integrating the MasSpec Pen with Sub-Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization for Rapid Chemical Analysis and Forensic Applications” Analytical Chemistry May 19, 2021 These researchers previously developed a “MasSpec Pen,” a handheld device integrated with a mass spectrometer for direct analysis and molecular profiling of biological samples. In this article, they develop a new version that can quickly and easily detect and measure compounds, including cocaine, oxycodone and explosives, which can be important in forensics investigations.

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